Newbuild: On 3rd November the DFDS Seaways newbuild Ark Dania embarked upon sea trials from the Fayard shipyard in Odense, Denmark. Having been caught up in the financial woes of P+S Werften in Straslund, Germany, she was towed to Odense from Stralsund on 5th May for completion. The ship was expected to join her sister Ark Germania on the Esbjerg- Immingham service as from 10th November offering six sailings per week in each direction. In due course both ships will undertake NATO charters for the Danish and German forces as part of the Ark fleet. The Ark Germania made her debut in May and both ships shared the port of Esbjerg whilst the Ark Dania was being prepared.

The Newhaven-Dieppe service, currently operated by DFDS, received an official reprieve on 30th October, through to the end of 2015 at least. DFDS Seaways and the Syndicat Mixte de Promotion de L’Activité Transmanche (SMPAT), which is responsible for the promotion of cross Channel activities for the Seine-Maritime region, reached an agreement in principle to extend DFDS Seaways’ operation and marketing of the Newhaven-Dieppe ferry service for an additional year. The agreement was reached between Nicolas Rouly, Chairman of the General Council of Seine- Maritime and the SMPAT and Peder Gellert Pedersen, Chairman of DFDS Seaways France and underlines the importance of the cross Channel ferry service to the tourism industry in the Seine-Maritime region of Normandy.

The agreement stipulates that the 18,425gt/2006 built sisterships Seven Sisters and Cote d’Albâtre, which are owned by SMPAT, will continue to be operated by DFDS Seaways on the Newhaven-Dieppe service during 2015. New sailing schedules will be introduced during peak periods in response to growing tourism and economic demands recorded in recent years in an attempt to reverse the route’s fortunes and return schedules to the time when these two Spanish built ships arrived in 2006. Other key elements include plans to adapt the ships to meet the requirements of MARPOL VI directive, using cleaner fuels, as well as safeguarding the jobs of the crew and shore-side staff who currently work on the route for the additional year.

Alas the return to a two ship service comes at the expense of the Le Havre-Portsmouth route upon which the Seven Sisters continues until the end of 2014. The Rosyth-Zeebrugge service will continue as the only freight service between Scotland and Continental Europe. Following an announcement in early November, DFDS Seaways will maintain its existing sailing schedule with the 11,530gt/2000 built Finlandia Seaways offering three departures in each direction per week. In addition to this, DFDS Seaways and Forth Ports announced that infrastructure improvements at the Rosyth terminal will allow double-stacking of containers on board the vessel.

The future fleet deployment on the Dover-Calais service remains uncertain as the 30,551gt/2002 built Dieppe Seaways will go to Gdansk in December for a 10-12 week dry docking prior to taking up service with Stena Line as the Stena Superfast X, most likely on the Irish Sea. The Patria Seaways remains a contender to replace her directly or indirectly, perhaps to allow a D-Class ship to switch from the Dover-Dunkerque service as a partner for the Calais Seaways.